Detour for New Year's Day: A Calendar Girls Novella

By Gina Ardito

Sometimes, love happens by accident.

 

On the day after Christmas, Pandora Bartlett has left Snug Harbor for a dream cruise meant to help her forget the man who dumped her. Months before, Justin Vais broke off their relationship with no reason and no warning.  When a car crash scraps her vacation plans, it's Justin who comes to her rescue. Now, she'll discover the real reason he gave up on them, a secret he's kept from everyone he knows and loves.

 

With the truth revealed, she'll have to battle his pride─and hers─to rekindle the love they both thought gone forever.     

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gina Ardito
• Release date: May 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201297282

Gina Ardito

Gina Ardito is the award-winning author of more than twenty-five romances in contemporary, historical, and paranormal sub-genres. In 2012, she launched her freelance editing business, Excellence in Editing, and now has a stable of award-winning clients, as well. She’s hosted workshops around the world for writing conferences, author organization chapter meetings, and library events. After raising a husband and two kids (the kids are grown; the husband’s still a child), she now focuses her attention on her books and her rescue pups. To her everlasting shame, despite all her accomplishments, she’ll never be more famous than her dog, who starred in commercials for 2015’s Puppy Bowl. 

Book preview

Chapter 1

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26

I zipped up my suitcase with a satisfied smile. There. All set.

My mother peered out my bedroom window at the snowflakes painting the black pre-dawn hour in white speckles. Are you sure you’ll be all right in this weather?

I’ll be fine. I kept my tone light to soothe Mama Hen’s ruffled feathers, but this chick could barely contain her eagerness to fly the coop—even if it was just for a week.

Nothing would keep me from boarding that plane today. After a demanding Christmas season at my flower shop, Pandora’s Petals, I’d earned this vacation. For the last four weeks I’d worked fourteen-hour days to fill orders of gift baskets, grave blankets, poinsettias, and holiday arrangements. 

A singles cruise to the Caribbean for New Year’s would renew my spirit and get my head on straight before the mania of Valentine’s Day began in a few weeks. My cell phone emitted a ding, and I checked the message that popped up. My driver was minutes away.

I gave Mom a kiss and pulled the suitcase off my bed. Gotta go. Tell Dad I said, ‘hasta la vista.’ I used my best Arnold Schwarzenegger imitation, which, to be honest was godawful, but he’d get the joke regardless.

My father, a retired electrician, hadn’t risen out of bed before seven-thirty since his last day of work. After years of leaving the house before dawn, he reveled in sleeping in. He and I had said our official goodbyes last night, about... six hours ago.

Have a wonderful time, sweetheart. And wear sunscreen.

I will, I promised.

I raced downstairs, grabbed my coat from the closet and slipped into it at the same time headlights lit up the den from the driveway. Woo-hoo! Colorful drinks with tiny umbrellas, glorious sunshine, and non-stop parties for eight days and seven nights awaited me. My goal was to come home with a golden tan and a new romantic relationship to start the year off right. Justin Vais, who’d broken up with me this past autumn, could take a flying leap. I was on to bigger and better things.

Outside, the sun had yet to wake, which I found rude, considering I’d been up for over an hour already. The falling snow made the walkway slick, and I skidded twice, but stayed upright. Thank God, soon, I’d be far away from New York in late December.

The driver of my hired car slid his window down. Pandora Bartlett?

That’s me.

Mike, he said, confirming the name on my app. Need help with your luggage?

No, thanks. I’ve got this.

Another perk of a tropical vacation: teeny, lightweight clothing that fit in my pink camo carryon. Even my costume for Masquerade Night, a medieval princess outfit, took up no room. I’d chosen a sleeveless blue silk gown with a gold fleur-de-lis embroidered on the bodice. Gold sandals and a gold mask with blue feathers completed the ensemble. After months of jackets and sweaters, I wanted to feel light and flirty and flowery for the upcoming week. No woolen hats, no gloves, no scarves, no boots. Nothing to weigh me down. This vacation was all about fun in the sun, turquoise water, and launching a bright new beginning for the coming year.

I slipped into the back seat, dropped my suitcase next to me, and leaned forward to greet the driver. Hi, thanks for coming out so early.

With this weather... He indicated the snow falling on his windshield. I figured we should give ourselves plenty of time to reach the airport. Going someplace special?

Florida, to start. My heart cartwheeled in my chest. Then, a cruise ship.

Nice, he replied. The wife and I took a cruise a coupla years ago. I swear, we musta gained about twenty pounds each that week. Shrimp the size of your fist, pastries to die for, chocolate fountains, eggs Benedict every day if you want, and all the cocktails you can drink. I bet you can’t wait.

I settled against the seat. The warm air blowing from the heater lulled me into a relaxed state. I can’t. It’s been a hectic holiday season.

Well, if you want to take a snooze back there, go ahead. I’ll wake you when we get to JFK. What terminal?

Four, thanks. Maybe I should take a quick nap so I wouldn’t conk out early tonight. I wanted to experience every second of this trip, my first real vacation in ages. The last thing I would accept was a nine p.m. bedtime on my first night onboard. With my mind already basking someplace warm and sunny, I settled against the headrest and closed my eyes.

I have no idea how long I slept before a squeal and a boom knocked me off my seat, and my eyes shot open. What the —?

In front of me, Mike was surrounded by the airbag that had deployed and deflated. The windshield spiderwebbed in hundreds of cracks, and with the orange cap he wore, he resembled some ghoulish Halloween scene.

I called out to him. Mike?

No reply.

And was that...

Blood...?

My stomach pitched, and a sharp ringing filled my ears. As my vision darkened around the edges, I fumbled in my purse for my cell phone. I managed to dial 911 before everything went black.

The next noise I heard was a voice calling, Pan? Can you hear me? Say something.

Wow, I really had to wake up. Justin hadn’t haunted my dreams in over a month now. I forced my eyes open to blinding white light and searing pain in my head. I groaned and quickly shut them again. Are we there yet?

Oh, thank God. Justin’s voice came from some dark tunnel.

Go away, I muttered, raising my hand to swat him away as if he were a swarm of gnats. I’m on vacation.

Pan, honey, open your eyes.

Not ‘til you go away.

Okay, I’m going. Open your eyes now.

I did and found his gorgeous face looming over mine. I gave a screech that could split melons. We both drew back, with me demanding, What are you doing here? Where’s Mike?

You’re in a hospital, Justin said. You were in a car accident. Do you remember?

I thought backward, playing my day in my achy head. What could I recall? Mike. Shrimp the size of my fist. A nap. The spiderwebbed windshield.

I sat up and forced my gaze to take in my surroundings. A curtain on a curved pole around a bed with rails, a pink plastic pitcher on a rolling bed tray, the sound of voices outside the draped-off area, and me lying here, with Justin seated on a chair beside me. I then realized while I wore the blue-and-white-striped button-down shirt I’d donned this morning (it’s hard to dress for a cold weather departure and a tropical arrival, and still manage to remain comfortable cramped in coach on a three-hour flight), the buttons had been opened, leaving anyone who happened to stroll in with a perfect view of my bra and bare torso, if not for the meager covering of the scratchy white sheet wrapped around me. At the bottom hem of that sheet, my stocking feet stuck out—no shoes. Where’s my jacket? And my boots?

They’re here, he assured me and pointed toward the floor. Under your bed. Your purse and your suitcase, too. I hope you didn’t have anything in the trunk. I heard the car you were in was totaled.

Who told you that? And how did you find me?

The police called me. You still have me listed as your emergency contact in your cell phone. He wagged a finger toward my nose. You told me you were going to change that.

I did—I mean, I was going to. I just... forgot. His eyes narrowed, and I snapped, Look, I’ve been busy the last few weeks. Christmas, remember?

Well, if you’re angry enough to argue with me, you must be feeling better, he retorted, getting to his feet. I’ll go tell the nurse you’re awake.

As he headed out, I called him back. Justin?

He paused, one fist gathering my drab cloth barrier. Yeah?

What happened?

"I don’t know many of the details, but I’m guessing